Alanna of Naxen
by Amie
Summary: Three hundred years after the original Alanna, when this Lady Knight foolishness is finally wearing down. This is Alanna of Naxen's story. FINSHED! Sequel coming shortly. :)
1. Alanna and Stephen

DISCLAIMER: The lovely characters that this story is based on are all property of that Goddess of Fantasy, Tammy. Don't sue, darlings!  
  
Author's Note: I love Alanna, she's soo cool. However, this story makes me seem Anti-Alanna. THIS IS NOT MY POINT OF VIEW. I'm trying to write out of the box...   
  
  
  
Three hundred years after the legacy of Alanna, Tortall is a very different place. King Jonathan VII and Queen Mariane are wise and just rulers, yes, but all this foolishness of female knights is finally beginning to wear down. The legends of the Five Lady Champions are still told, embellished as ever, but nobles, the only ones who can become knights, are forbidden to hear the tale, for fear of corruption of their minds. So is the setting for the tale of Lady Alanna of Naxen, named for her great grandmother, who in turn was named for the legend.  
  
The girl stepped out of her house and blinked at the bright lights. She had been cooped up with influenza for three weeks, and was enjoying her first outing in a month.   
  
Alanna wandered for awhile through the woods, followed silently by her servants. She knew they were there, of course, they always were, to protect her from dangers she might encounter when out walking. After awhile, she turned back, deciding that it wasn't worth being outside if she was going to risk her health. She did not want to be ill throughout social season. When she reached the building, she sighed and went in to finish packing her gowns. They were to leave that afternoon.  
  
~*~  
  
They arrived at the Palace in the middle of the night. The almost full moon overhead lit the path that Alanna was walking on. She was in travelling clothes, but she still looked stunning. Her copper hair glistened in the moonlight as she waited for a servant to show her to her quarters and bring her things in. As she stood and waited, a young noble approached her.   
  
"Hello, I don't believe we've met before...are you new to the Palace?" he asked, smiling, "It's too cold for you to be outside. Would you like to come in?"  
  
Obviously, the young boy was smitted with her ethreal appearance.   
  
"Why, thank you, Sir, and yes, I am new to the Palace," replied Alanna. "OK, then, I'll have someone get your things," he said, motioning to a servant to get them, "I believe that there is a free suite down the hall from where I'm staying. You might try to get that room."   
  
"Yes, yes of course. Sir...I hate to be impolite, but...could you please tell me your name?" she said.   
  
"It's Sir Stephen of Pirate's Swoop. Terribly sorry I forgot, I was stunned by your radience, Lady," said Stephen, shocked at his own ability to flirt. He had a reputation of being horrible with ladies.   
  
"Thank you, Sir Stephen. I'm Lady Alanna of Naxen," said Alanna, glad that they had finally arrived at what was to be her suite. It had been a long walk, and her slippers were not the most comfortable.  
  
"Lady Alanna, you have the most beautiful name. Will I see you at the ball tomorrow night?" asked Stephen, shifting slightly and blushing.   
  
"Thank you. And of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. But please, call me just Alanna. The formalities of the palace, I believe, are too stiff for my tastes," said Alanna, blushing in turn. She had just revealed a secret part of herself to someone she barely knew.   
  
"Yes, Alanna. You can, um, call me Stephen...if you like," he stammered.   
  
He turned his back on her and walked away before he could say anything to embarrass himself further. Already, Stephen believed that the beautiful Lady Alanna -no, Alanna- would never want to speak to him again. He was far from right, however. Alanna was as smitten with him as he was her.  
  
~*~  
  
The next day, the day of the ball, Alanna had awoken after noon. She realized with a start what time it was, then set about getting ready for the ball. She wanted to be especially stunning tonight.  
  
~*~  
  
Alanna looked at herself in the glass. She was shocked to see a beautiful lady, like the ones she had admired when she was a small child of four. Her coppery-red hair was twisted on top of her head, with ringlets spilling out from it everywhere. She had added a small glass butterfly as her only hair ornament.   
  
Her dress was the palest of lavender, with a swooping neckline and full-bodied skirts that swept the ground. The sleeves came to her elbows, gracefully tied back from her arms. The entire creation was dotted with pearls, and set off by an amethyst charm on a silver string around her neck. She sighed into the mirror and stepped out of her door.  
  
After the first resounding steps in the hall, she realized that someone was behind her. She turned and saw Stephen. She gasped with surprise.   
  
"May I escort a beautiful lady to a certain ball?" whispered Stephen in Alanna's ear, after a moment or two of stunned silence when he saw her.   
  
"Of course you may, Stephen, I'd be a fool to turn down someone so handsome as you are," she said out loud.   
  
He extended his arm, and she looped hers in, and they set off the the ball.  
  
  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~  
  
So what do you think? Should I bother to finish this? I'm open to opinions, suggestions, and hey, maybe even a few flames. 


	2. The Ball

Stephen and Alanna heard music and nobles chatting far before they reached the ballroom. When they finally got there, they weren't surprised at the sheer number of nobles who had shown up. They stood behind a red velvet curtain waiting to be announced, when a man, escorted by two giggling ladies, stepped into the small chamber. Immediately, everyone stopped and stared at the trio.   
  
Alanna knew at once who the man in the center of the ladies must be. He was the Prince ! She dipped a low curtsy to him, then stood up, staring at him like everyone else was apt to. He ignored the stares and continued talking to the flirtatious young women surrounding him. He didn't even look up from his escorts !   
  
The Prince was dressed in blue velvet coat, with a white shirt underneath. He had dull brown eyes and muddy brown hair. He wasn't anything special, he was just admired for being born. Soon, Alanna began to notice something…Stephen was staring at her staring at the Prince ! She blushed and turned to her companion.   
  
"Sir Stephen and Lady Alanna," announced the man. They stepped forward and entered the ballroom via the red draped staircase. Once on the dance floor, Stephen at once asked Alanna to dance. The spun through the next few dances, unable to take their eyes off of each other. Stephen saw only Alanna's light violet eyes that matched her gown, Alanna saw Stephen's.deepest blue ones that twinkled as he moved about the dance floor.  
  
Finally, breathless with the excitement of a fast waltz, they removed themselves from the floor and helped themselves to drinks from the refreshment table. They downed punch and chatted about their lives. Well, Alanna chatted about hers. Stephen seemed shy about his past, unwilling to share details. Alanna found this strange.   
  
"Stephen, would you like to go for a walk?" she asked politely, wanting to get away from the crowds of dancers.   
  
"Of course, Alanna, where should we go? To the gardens?" asked Stephen.  
  
"The gardens sound lovely, but I've never seen them," replied Alanna. So with a mutual nod, they stepped outside, arm in arm, and wandered through the flowers, topiaries, and statues.  
  
After wandering around for awhile, they found a bench that seemed to welcome the pair to sit on it. It was wrought iron, and vines had reclaimed the legs it stood on, making it seem truely like part of the garden. They turned and stared into each other's eyes, like they had moments before. Alanna inhaled, knowing what was about to come.  
  
She was right. Stephen leaned in towards her face as she exhaled. He brought his lips of to her face, and slowly kissed her. When she didn't recoil in horror, he deepened his kiss, pulling her close to him. After a few moments, he pulled back and looked at the girl he had kissed. She was smiling.   
  
"That was my first kiss," said Alanna.   
  
"Mine too," Stephen replied.   
  
The full moon shining above was smiling down on the pair in that moment. It was the perfect night for romance, and they were both falling in love. 


	3. A Surprise for Alanna

Several weeks had passed since that fateful night under the moon. In fact, it was almost time for another full moon to make its appearance. Alanna and Stephen were getting to know each other well. Alanna had taken to exploring the Palace, sometimes with Stephen, who knew just where something was that would interest her. He seemed to know the Palace very well, since he had lived there all his life.   
  
On the days that Stephen wasn't around to show her places, she would find a hall that didn't contain suites and wander it for awhile, sometimes opening doors to see what was inside. Often, when she found a room that she loved, she would mark its location and attempt to come back the next day. This very rarely worked out, because the Palace was extremely large.   
  
It was one such day as was mentioned earlier. Alanna was opening doors alone, fated to open random doors forever, it seemed, as she had not come upon anything interesting in the last hour or so. She saw a large, intricately carved door, inlaid with brass. She was in awe at the beauty of the door, it should have been in a frame up on the wall somewhere ! 'Whoever made it knew what they were doing,' she thought to herself.   
  
She rested her palm for a moment on the handle of the door, which looked like a sun split down the middle with one half on each side. She thought for a moment, thinking of what could possibly be behind this door, then opened it.   
  
The door was very heavy, and required someone larger than her to open it, but she did try. She leaned back with all her weight when the door swung open, if only an inch or two.  
  
Alanna peered through the crack and gasped! She hadn't know this room was a conference room. Inside, the King, Queen, and Prince, having a meeting of some sort. Only they and two guards were present.   
  
"Jonathan, you MUST find someone to marry by June. You have to be ready to accept the throne in a year, and after five years of knighting, can't you find anybody? I know I said thousands of pretty girls I could have married on my trips! But luckily, I found your mother just in time," said the King, attempting to avoid a stare from his wife.  
  
"Father, Mother, did it ever occur to you that the entire time we've been here, I've been trying to tell you something?" asked the Prince, "You see, I've found…"  
  
Alanna had heard the Prince's voice before, and it hadn't been at the ball. He hadn't spoken then. In fact, that wasn't the Prince at all! But she knew she'd heard that voice before, somewhere.  
  
At that moment, Alanna had very unfortunate luck for her. Some maintenance worker hadn't oiled the hinges very well, and as she leaned, the door began to creak. The Prince turned around and looked at the open door. He stood up, and opened it all the way. It required no effort from him.  
  
Alanna was crouched on the ground, and only saw legs for a moment. Then she rose. The face she saw was not that of the Prince.   
  
"Stephen?" she asked wanly.   
  
"Yes, Alanna?" he replied.  
  
The shock of the whole thing had made her feel tired.   
  
"I didn't know you were the Prince," she said.  
  
He didn't reply. Instead, he took her hand and led her in. She curtsied to the King and Queen, and took the seat the the Prince offered to her. All eyes were on him as he began his story, first to Alanna, then to his parents.  
  
  
~*~  
  
Next time: the Prince's story AND does Alanna have any twists up HER sleeve? You have to wait and find out! 


	4. Jonathan's Story or Alanna Cries for the...

Alanna settled in for a long time. It seemed that the Prince's-Jonathan's-story would be long.   
  
"Alanna. I know this seems horrible. I hope you'll forgive me. Please," was the way he started his story. Alanna just blinked back tears that were stirring at the fact that he still loved her. Jonathan looked sad that she was crying, and desperately wanted to wipe the tears from her face, but decided not to risk it until he had told his entire story.  
  
"When I was little, I was kidnapped by pirates, to rid Tortall of an heir. You see, my cousin, Robert of Conte, wanted me dead, and hired some of them. He almost murdered my mother," he said, as he patted his mother's hand, "and they didn't want it to happened again. They got the son of the Baron at Pirate's Swoop to be me at all royal functions and to live in my suites. We looked alike as children, you know.   
  
"So my parents moved me to the suites that I'm in now. And only a handful of people know that I'm the brains behind the body. Including you, now," said Jonathan, finishing his story.   
  
"I'm sorry I had to lie to you, I was planning on telling you tonight after I talked to my mother and father. And I still do need to speak to them," added the Prince.  
  
Alanna got up as if to leave, but Jonathan reached for her hand and looked into her eyes. She sat again.   
  
"Mother. Father. About the marriage. I found somebody. Someone smart, interesting, and beautiful. I want to marry Lady Alanna, if she accepts," the Prince said to his parents.  
  
Alanna had tears streaming down her face by now. Jonathan pulled her from where she was sitting and held her. She buried her face in his shoulder, and stopped sobbing.  
  
"Really?" she gasped.  
  
"Really," he said, as he kissed her. Since that night on the bench, they had both improved their abilities, and this kiss was more than a quick peck.   
  
When he let her go, and took her hand to hold, she said, "Jonathan, I will marry you. I love you so much."  
  
~*~  
  
Next time: Alanna has something to say. What will it be? AND…will the King and Queen be pleased? 


	5. Thinking of You

"Jonathan, I will marry you. I love you so much."   
  
Those words had run through his head over and over, tumbling and spinning. Alanna knew that he was the Prince. She said she would marry him. She loved him. All this information tumbled around in his head, with him not really understanding any of it. It had all happened in such a hurry. He was happy, of course, but mostly because he knew he should be. It just hadn't sunken in yet that he was getting married in two months, in June, and that he would be coronated in December. It didn't make any sense to him.  
  
Alanna felt the same way, but she understood what she was getting into. A wedding, in two weeks! To the Prince, no less! She was rather miffed that he'd lied to her, but she understood the reasons. She wasn't mad, just doubtful. Very, very doubtful. She fell asleep that night, tossing and turning.  
  
  
  
That night, Alanna had a dream.   
  
A silvery mass came to her, floating in front of her. It said, "Alanna. You know…what you must…do…when you marry…you must do…the right…thing…"  
  
With that message, the creature would leave, and Alanna would be in a damp, dark forest, trying to get out but to no avail! Escape was not an option. So she waited, and waited, and was almost sunk in mud, when a unicorn would march up to her and pull her out with its teeth. He flew her to a meadow, everytime, and they danced together.  
  
She didn't know what the dream meant, at all. All it did was confuse and worry her, and make her wonder what a unicorn was doing there. Hadn't all the Immortals been shut in a century ago? Alanna only knew what a unicorn looked like from stories that people had told her.   
  
  
  
Jonathan's head ached from being in town. He had to go on a weekly ride through the city with his father, some of the more powerful noblemen, and now his bride-to-be, Alanna. Today, on the announecement of the engagement, the crowd went wild. Several other people also felt their eyes burning, or heads aching. All of them longed to be back in the Palace. But each person thought only they were afflicted, and so they rode on.  
  
Alanna was seemingly the only person without a headache. She had never gotten sick before a day in her life. She certainly wouldn't give in to a headache now and ruin her perfect record. Suddenly, Alanna fainted away and fell off her horse onto the cold, hard cobblestones. 


	6. Alanna's Visitor

"Alanna. Alanna. Alanna."  
  
Her name was being called over and over again. She opened her eyes and blinked. There was an unfamiliar face floating above hers.   
  
She blinked again and the face came into better focus. She did know that face, after all. It was her maid, Delia. "What's happened. Where am I?" she asked, confused.   
  
Delia only nodded her head and said, "In the Palace, Mistress. You have a visitor."  
  
Alanna tried to sit up in vain. She fell back down into the feather pillows piled behind her. She didn't try again.  
  
"Alanna, are you feeling better? I brought you presents," said the visitor. She couldn't see his face, but recognized his voice. It was Merin. She hadn't wanted to deal with this until later.  
  
"Merin. How did you get here so quickly? It's four days' ride to the Palace from Goldenlake!" said Alanna, puzzled.  
  
"Well, I was on my way two days before your accident, and apparantly, you've been asleep since then. I just arrived. Would you like to see your presents?" asked Merin.  
  
"Oh, OK. But I do need to talk to you, Merin. It's very important," Alanna replied.  
  
Merin pulled from behind his back three packages, of varying sizes. One was fairly large, one was extremely small, and the other was in between. He handed her the large one first.   
  
Alanna unwound the twine that held the paper to the gift, then peeled back the paper to see what it held. She gasped.   
  
The package contained a beautiful gown in virginal white silk, dotted with pearls all over, with hand-made lace topping the hems. She was speechless, her mouth hanging open like a fish out of water.   
  
When she regained her composure, she said to Merin, "Merin. It's absolutely beautiful. It is," she said.   
  
"You haven't even opened the other packages, honey," he replied. With that, he handed her the medium package.   
  
She opened it slowly, believing that she knew what was in the package. She was right. It was a pair of white slippers to match the beautiful dress. They, also, were speckled with pearls, and she put one on. It was exactly a match to her tiny foot. By now, tears were streaming down her face. She knew he still loved her. She didn't think she could bear to open the tiny package, knowing what it would be.  
  
"Merin, I can't take these presents. I can't," she said.  
  
"Why not, honey? Are you tired? Do you want to lie down?" he asked tenderly.   
  
"Merin, while you were gone…I met someone…and he was the Prince!" she wailed. "And he asked me to marry him. And I said yes!" By now, Alanna purple eyes were overproducing tears, and she was sobbing. Merin just stared at her in shock. He backed away from the bed, and finally left the room, leaving the small package at the door. 


	7. The Prince's Visit

Jonathan entered Alanna's room in the infirmary. He smiled at her, until he saw her tears.  
  
"Alanna? Are you hurt?" Jonathan asked. He grabbed her hand and poured some of his Gift into her. She stopped crying, and opened her mouth to tell him what was happening, but he already knew. She had forgotten that Jonathan could read the minds of people in distress. He looked at her, stricken, much the way that Merin had looked only moments before. He walked over to the door and picked up the small package that had been left by the door.   
  
Alanna felt suddenly weary, as Jonathan's Gift began working inside her. She closed her eyes and layed down. Jonathan kissed her cheek and said, "Alanna, I still love you. I'll make things right." He turned and walked away, to find Merin and talk things over with him. 


	8. The Beginning of the End

Jonathan found Merin walking through the halls. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder.   
  
"I think we need to talk," said the Prince, "I have a meeting room where we can do so privately.   
  
Merin followed the Prince, glaring at the man who had won the love of the woman who had been promised to him. Jonathan pushed open the door to a large chamber, which was in fact the chamber that Alanna had eavesdropped on that fateful day when she discovered who 'Stephen' really was.   
  
The Prince pulled up a chair to the table and asked Merin to do the same. Prince Jonathan reached for Merin's hand, and got the story from the boy. Merin, who also had the Gift, was protected from Jonathan's prying, if he wanted to be, but he opened, to save explaining time.   
  
It turned out the Merin and Alanna had been betrothed before either of them had been born! Prince Jonathan sighed. He knew that his wish to marry a lady overruled all other claims, but did he want to put Merin through that? He reached for the boy's hand again.   
  
Aha! There it was! The thing, the one loophole, that meant the Alanna and Jonathan could be married. The Prince smiled falsely at Merin. The boy didn't know that the Prince had bypassed all his walls and Gift protection. He knew what Merin was.  
  
---------------  
  
Meanwhile, back in the infirmary, Alanna's maid Delia looked at the sleeping woman. Delia knew the history of her family, of her great-great-grandmother's grandmother. She knew that some purple eyed twerp had taken the Prince away from her family before, and it wouldn't happen again. Too bed Merin had failed his job. She would punish him later. But for now, she had to get rid of Alanna.   
  
  
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a/n: sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've just been lazy. I've also been busy with resolutions for Model UN and lots of other nerdly extracurricular things. I hope you enjoyed the past few installments! 


	9. Face the Wrath

Alanna woke in the morning, stiff and sore. She wanted to get out of bed and brush her hair and get dressed. She felt disgusting, even though Delia had been taking care of her. She sat up…and immediately fell back into bed. She was too weak to even sit up. She tried yelling for Delia or Jonathan, her voice came out just as loud as her speaking voice. Even stranger than these physical ills was the fact that nobody was in the infirmary, no healers or healer's helpers. At this time of day, especially at Midwinter, there should have been people aplenty to deal with upset stomachs caused by ale.  
  
She looked around at her settings before realizing something: she wasn't in the infirmary, or even in her room. She was in a dark place that she recognized immediately as Jonathan's room. What was she doing here? Why was no one in here with her? She was a good girl, and oughten't be in a man's room when no chaperones were present, even when the man wasn't here. People would talk and gossip about her now!  
  
She blushed at what she thought to be her fate, when she heard a rustling noise from under the covers on the Prince's bed. She saw the Prince yawn, and stand up. He was with someone, someone who wasn't her! She strained desperately on her rope, but was too weak to breach them. She wondered why Jonathan wasn't looking at her.  
  
Alanna realized why he couldn't see her: there was a spell around her, one to block her from the sight of any people! Now she was furious, and found strength in herself to sit up. She worked angrily at the ropes that chafed her wrist, and finally pulled a single hand out. She used her free hand to undo the second hand, then thought.  
  
She reached deep inside herself, deep down into her lavender Gift. She thought about the ropes, and murmered under her breath the spell to untie knots, something useful she had learned at the Convent. When her hands and ankles were free, she rubbed them for a few minutes to get feeling back into them, then set to work.  
  
Alanna quickly saw that the shield wasn't only meant to keep people from seeing her, but also from hearing her. She thought about how to undo this without straining her Gift. She wasn't a mage, and so couldn't do anything more than simple tricks without feeling faint and hungry. But this once, anger had fueled her Gift, so she could undo the force. She whispered a few words under her breath, and traced a rune in the air, when suddenly, with a pop, the shield burst! She stood up, hotly, and turned to face the dressing Jonathan.   
  
"Ahem," coughed Alanna.   
  
Jonathan promptly turned around, as he was meant to. He smiled at her and quickly cleared the room. He swept her away in a deeply lustful kiss, like none he'd ever given her. Finally, he backed away, breathless.   
  
She stared at him with fury. "How dare you kiss me when you have just bedded a…" She stopped suddenly, staring at the figure in his bed. Her jaw dropped and she swayed towards the floor, for the second time that day. 


	10. The First Secret is Unveiled

She swayed toward the floor, for the second time that day. Jonathan caught her in his arms, as a reflex. He stared, aghast, at the woman in his arms, and at the one is his bed.   
  
"Alanna, Alanna," he said, addressing the two forms, "What is going on here?"   
  
The Alanna in his arms yelled, "I fell off my horse, and was put in the infirmary! You know that! But then I was tied in this corner for who knows how long with a spell around me! Then I saw you in bed with that…person!"  
  
She pointed to the figure in the bed, who looked remarkably like her. "Just who the hell do you think you are?" she exclaimed, before covering her mouth and blushing. Language like that didn't come from ladies' mouths. She backed away, mortified, and let Jonathan question the other person.  
  
"Well, then, if she was tied in a corner, then who are you?" he asked, addressing the girl in his bed.  
  
"Well, I felt better in the infirmary, so I decided to get up. I couldn't find Delia anywhere…" she stopped when he opened his mouth.  
  
"Who is this Delia?" asked the Prince.   
  
"She is my maidservant lord," she answered to his question, "And I couldn't find her. So I went to find you, to warn you I was better and to find out what you had to say to Merin, and why I saw him leaving."  
  
"Well," responded the Prince, "When we get this business sorted out about the two of you, I'll tell you, the one I proposed to, what happened to Merin and why he was leaving. But for now, I'll leave you for one bell to let you sort this out. Then you can tell me the truth," said Jonathan with a half-smile.   
  
He turned and backed out of the room. He locked the door magically, so they couldn't leave.   
  
"Delia, why?" whispered Alanna.  
  
"You know the history of your family as well as I do. A purple eyed twerp like you has stolen the Prince from the right person before. I just want to make sure that he's…happy…with the right person," said Delia, who looked like Alanna, with a malicious twinkle in her eyes.  
  
"How did you get the spell to look just like me? You know have the Gift!" exclaimed Alanna.  
  
"Oh…you'd be surprised at the things that servants can keep secret their entire lives…" said Delia. She stepped away from the true Alanna and evaporated into thin air. 


	11. The Second Secret is Unveiled, or, The E...

Author's Note: This is the last chapter in Alanna of Naxen. There will be a sequel, but I really needed to wrap everything up for time being, because I have so much going on with debate and trying to get published and my webzine and all. I hope you've all enjoyed this fanfiction. Thank you all so much for your support, especially Keita, who always commented, and Lady Marie, who changed her mind. J Goddess bless.  
  
~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~  
  
Alanna looked around more closely at the room. Jonathan had locked the room magically, so she couldn't get out through the door. There were no windows in this part of the castle, for fear of assasination of the monarchs. She sat and was about to burst into tears, when she remembered something vital.  
  
~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~  
  
Delia, still looking like Alanna, reappeared in front of the Prince outside of the room.   
  
"Your Highness, I made my maidservant come to rights. Be assured, she was out of her mind. She committed treason against the crown. I want her hanged at sunrise. Can we move her to a cell?" asked Delia.  
  
Jonathan stared at the beautiful woman in surprise. "You want someone killed?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Sire, I would do anything to ensure your safety. Surely you must know that even though it will be a sacrafice for me to find a new maid, I will do it to keep you safe," said Delia, with a phony smile on her face.  
  
"All…right then, I suppose. I'll unlock the door, and we can…move her…" said Jonathan slowly. He spoke three words, the passwords to get into his room, and entered. Nobody was there.  
  
~:~ ~:~ ~:~ ~:~  
  
Alanna had found the secret passageway out of the room easily. There were many tapestries in the room, but only five were the right size to conceal a door. Now she ran along the dimly lit hall, only occasionally spotting a servant. They left her alone, as future queen. She soon reached the door that led into her new chambers. There, she locked her door and made three passes in the air to find and rid the room of any spells meant to harm her.   
  
She had done all of this before realizing that she had a visitor: Merin was sitting on her bed, watching her curiously.  
  
"I suppose you know by now," drawled Merin, in his annoying accent, "The Prince has surely told you by now."  
  
"I don't know what you are speaking of, Merin. Honestly," she spoke the last under her breath, hoping that he would come clean soon.  
  
"Of course you don't. So you're saying that you don't know about Delia and I? And her plot to marry the Prince and kill him? Sure, Alanna, I can believe that," he said sarcastically.   
  
Alanna gasped. The news shocked her. She stared at Merin for several minutes.   
  
"Are you a part of this plan, Merin?" she finally asked.  
  
"No, I didn't know until you left for the Palace. We've been together for a year. I thought you knew. I was only marrying you for mother," he told her willingly, "And if you let me out of this room, I won't try to hurt you."  
  
Alanna believed him. Ever since they were children, they always told the truth to each other. Yes, some parts might be left out, but the truth was always told.  
  
"Merin of Goldenlake, you can leave this room if you promise to find Delia, take her away, and marry her within a week," she said, with a hint of a smile around her eyes. Her problems might have an end in sight!  
  
Merin grinned at her and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and whispered, "Good luck, Merin, and beware: she can be downright evil when she wants to be Queen."  
  
She picked at the enchantments that held her room shut, and let Merin out with his things. As he walked down the hall, he turned and yelled, "I'm sorry Alanna! I wish things could have worked out better! I'll beat some sense into…my wife!"   
  
Alanna waved until he was no longer there. Being friends with him again was a relief. She didn't want to pretend to love him. She just wished that Merin had better taste in women, although she knew that he had a strong enough will to keep Delia away for a long, long time. He obviously wore a focus for her, seeing as he was being trained for the Gift, and was obviously in love.  
  
She wondered how she missed their affair. The answer was obvious. She was busy in her preparations for Court and praying for a better husband than he to notice anything other than herself. She cursed under her breath that she had allowed Delia to get out of control, but now she could marry Jonathan! It seemed that things would work out. She thought about the dream she had had, that seemed like such a long time ago. The unicorn was smiling now, it appeared that she had done the right thing. She grinned, and ran to find Jonathan, when she got a proper look in a mirror. She turned and called for a bath from a servant posted in the hall.   
  
She continued looking in the mirror and sighed. It had only been a few months that she had been here, but it felt like a lifetime. She reflected on the things that had happened: Stephen being the Prince, guilt over Merin resolved, Delia and Jonathan. All her problems wrapped up in a bow. Or so it appeared to the casual onlooker.  
  
~:~ 


End file.
